PORTLAND, Ore.-
At 11,239 feet and draped with early snow, Mount Hood beckons skiers from across the West.
If only they could get there.
The storms that brought snow to the top of the mountain washed out a road that leads to Mount Hood’s largest ski area, damaging a Columbia Gorge tourist industry that depends in the winter on people playing in the snow.
Mount Hood Meadows Ski Resort, Oregon’s second-busiest ski area, didn’t open for skiers and boarders Thursday because the state highway that leads to it was hammered by sodden earth and rock sliding off the volcano last week during a rainstorm.
About 22 miles of Oregon 35 is closed. The state has hired a contractor on a rush basis to get it passable.
The state highway department hasn’t said when it expects to get the road reopened.
“I would be surprised if the ski area was not open by Christmas,” said David Riley, president of Mount Hood Meadows, in a blog posting. He said the ski area had enough snow to open Thursday–it reported a snow base of 22 inches.
Another Mount Hood ski area, Timberline, the state’s third-busiest and closer to Portland, wasn’t affected by the road closure and did open Thursday, to a crammed parking lot. “I think we’ve got a few people playing hooky,” said spokesman John Tullus.
But the delay in opening Mount Hood Meadows hit hard because of its close ties to the Columbia Gorge town and county of Hood River, famed for its cherry orchards and the gusts that allow wind surfers to dance on the river.
That’s Hood River in the summer. In the winter, it’s become a ski town, thanks in part to a partnership with Mount Hood Meadows that involves lodging, ski passes and marketing.
“Not long ago, restaurants used to close in Hood River in the winter because there just wasn’t the population,” said Craig Schmidt, executive director of the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce. “Now they are almost all open.”
At Doug’s Sports in Hood River, general manager Mark Mason, said sales are down at least 30 percent on “anything dealing with skiing. People just seem to be on a major hold.”
Near the ski area, at the Old Parkdale Inn Bed and Breakfast, which offers three rooms, guests this weekend and next have canceled.
“I had a full house booked for Thanksgiving, and two called up to cancel,” said Mary Pellegrini, owner along with her husband, Steve. “I don’t blame them.”
Mount Bachelor, near Bend, is the state’s busiest ski area, accounting for about a third of the 1.5 million visits the state averaged each year over the last five, according to Scott Kaden, president of the Pacific Northwest Ski Areas Association, headquartered in Hood River. Mount Hood Meadows has averaged 361,000 visits a year, and Timberline 241,000, he said.
